Tool for stitch-separating machines.



Ntra Srafres ArsNr OFFICE.

JOHN B. HADAWAY, OF BROCKTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

TOOL FOR STITCH-SEPARATING MACHINES.

SPEGXFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 712,669, dated November4, 1902.

Application led January 13, 1902. Serial No. 89,564. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, JOHN B. HADAWAY,l a citizen of the United States,residing at Brockton, in the county of Plymouth and State ofMassacl1usetts,have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Toolsfor Stitch-Separating Machines; and I do hereby declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same.

The present invention relates to an improved tool for stitch-separatingmachines.

All practically operative stitchsseparating machines which are adaptedto act upon the shoe after the seam has been finished have provision forcompensating for the slight variations in the length of the stitcheswhich occur in all boot and shoe work in order to prevent the tool fromstriking upon the crowns of the stitches instead of in the stitchintervals. In most stitch-separating machines adapted to act upon afinished seam and in all such machines which have gone into general usethis result is effected in a simple and reliable manner by thecooperative action of the indenting-tool and the stitches of the seam,means being provided whereby the tool and the Work are moved or allowedto move relatively to each other while the tool is iu engagement withthe work in order to locate the point of the tool in the stitchintervals. In practice it has been found that in order to cooperate withthe stitches to locate the poin't of the indenting-tool in the stitchintervals the indenting-tool must be provided with an indenting point orblade the lateral surfaces of which are arranged at a right angle or atan acute angle to each other, as when the lateral surfaces of the bladeor point are arranged at an obtuse angle the working end.

ranged at an obtuse angle does not obtain a sufficient hold upon thework to feed it properly. t

For the reasons above stated all attempts to utilize stitch-separatingmachines to pro'- duce wide and shallow indentations have beenunsuccessful. This form of indentation is, however, highly desirable, asthereby the crowns of the stitches are formed more or less pointed and astriking and pleasing appearance is imparted to the seam which cannot beobtained when the indentations are narrow and the crowns of the stitchesrounded.

The object of my invention is to provide a stitch-separating tool whichcan be used in stitch-separating machines to produce wide and shallowindentations; and with this object in view my invention consists in astitchseparating tool provided with a stitchsepa rating blade to enterandindent a stitch interval and with lateral plane surfaces above and oneach side of the blade arranged at an obtuse angle to each other. A toolconstructed according to my invention can be used in a stitch-separatingmachine as satisfactorily as the tools which have heretofore been usedto produce relatively narrow and deep indentations, as the bladecooperates with the stitches of the seam to properly locate the blade inthe stitch intervals in the same manner as the blade of prior tools andcan likewise be used to feed the work. The lateral plane surfaces aboveand on each side of the blade press upon the adjacent ends of thestitches when the tool is forced against the work with anindentingpressure and Hatten them down, so that the eect produced by thetool is substantially the same as that of a tool provided with anindenting-blade the surfaces of which are arranged at an obtuse angle.The crowns of the stitches of a seam which has been acted upon by a toolconstructed according to my invention are more or less pointed, and animportant and valuable feature of my invention resides in the fact thatthe same tool can be used to impart a different shape to the crowns ofstitches of the same length and to impart the same Shape to the crownsof stitches of different lengths, whereby the use of a different toolfor each shape of crown desired or foreach length of stitch is renderedun- IOO necessary. These results are secured by forcing the tooldiferent distances into the work during the indenting operation, as willbe hereinafter more fully described.

Tools designed to shape the crowns of stitches have heretofore beendevised, such tools being disclosed in my prior patents, No. 653,286,dated July 10, 1900, No. 667,086, dated January 29, 1901, and No.688,411, dated December 10, 1901. The tools disclosedin these patentsare, however, provided with concave surfaces to impart a rounded shapeto the crowns of the stitches, and consequently a single tool can onlybe used to shape the crowns of stitches of a given length and to impartbut one shape thereto.

I believe that I` am the first in the art to provide an indenting-toolwhich can bc used in stitch-separating machines in which the toolcooperates with the stitches of the seam to compensate for variations inthe length of the stitches to produce wide and shallow indentations. Ialso believe that Iam the first in the art to provide an indenting-toolwhich can be used in stitch-separating machinesin which the toolcoperaties with the stitches of the seam to compensate for variations inthe length of the stitches to impart different shapes to the crowns ofstitches of the saine length or the same shape to the crowns of stitchesof dierent lengths.

My invention will be readily understood from the accompanying drawings,in which- Figure 1 is a View in front elevation of an indenting-toolembodying the same. Fig. 2 is a View in side elevation thereof, andFigs. 3 and t are somewhat diagrammatic views illustrating the action ofthe toolupon seams the stitches of which are of different averagelength. y

The tool (designated as a whole by the numer-al 1) is provided with anindenting-blade 2. Above the blade 2 the tool projects on each side andis provided with lateral plane surfaces 3 and 4, which are arranged atan obtuse angle to each other. As shown, the

lateral surfaces of the blade consist of two surfaces 5 and 6, arrangedsubstantially parallel, and two surfaces 7 and 8, arranged at a rightangle or at an acute angle to each other, the edge of the blade formedby the converging surfaces 7 and 8 being slightly rounded olf in orderto prevent the edge from cutting or injuring the stitches of the seamwhen the tool is brought into contact therewith and also to enable thetool to slide over the stitch during the operation of locating the toolin a stitch interval.

The action of the tool upon the stitches of the seam will be evidentfrom an inspection of Figs. 3 and 4, which show somewhatdiagrammatically the appearance of the stitches of the seam both beforeand after the action of the tool thereon. From these figures it will benoted that the indenting-blade 2 forms an indentation 9 between adjacentstitches and liattens down the ends of the stitches on each side of thestitch interval, so that the crown of the stitch is given a pointedshape. It will be seen that the indenting-blade 2 corresponds to and iscapable of performing all the functions of the indenting-blade of anordinary indenting-tool which has heretofore been used to'produce a deepand narrow indentation between the stitches. Thus the blade 9 is capableof coperating with the stitches of the seam to locate the blade in thestitch intervals and after having been forced into the work can beutilized to feed the work with certainty. The tool therefore possessesall the advantages of the ordinary indentingtool which has heretoforebeen successfully used and in addition imparts to the stitches of theseam substantially the same appearancev as would be imparted by astitch-separating tool provided with an indenting-blade the lateralsurfaces of which are arranged at an obtuse angle. It will be noted thatthe crowns of the stitches shown in Fig. 3, which have been acted uponby the tool, are somewhat pointed, but that the apex of the crowns isslightly rounded. If itis desired to shape the crowns of the stitch witheither a more pointed or more rounded apex, this result can beaccomplished by forcing the indenting-tool a greater or a less distanceinto the work. Thus the same tool can be utilized to impart differentshapes to the crowns of stitches of the same length. The stitches of theseam illustrated in Fig. et are of less length than the stitches of theseam shown in Fig. 3. It will be noted, however, that the crowns of thestitches shown in Fig. 4 which have been acted upon by the tool are ofthe same shape as the crowns of the stitches shown in Fig. 8 which havebeen acted upon by the tool. This result is accomplished, as will beevident from an inspection of the figures, by forcing the indenting-toolaless distance into the work. The same tool can thus be used to impartthe same shape to the crowns of stitches of different lengths.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States- ICO IIO

A stitch-separating tool provided with a stitch separating and indentingblade and with lateral plane surfaces above and on each side of theblade arranged at an obtuse angle to each other.

In testimony whereof I alix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN B. HADAWAY. Vitnesses:

FRED O. FISH, ALFRED H. HILDRETH.

